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“Still haven’t decided what to do next, have you?”

Ji-hye, who had been silent for a while, asked.

“Yeah.”

I replied softly.

Along with the embarrassment from earlier, a wave of guilt hit me. After all, we were occupying this room unilaterally. If things went wrong, they could bring in equipment too.

“I see.”

Ji-hye answered calmly, taking a moment before continuing.

“Then, for a while, we’ll all stay in this room together. Maybe for quite a while.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Feeling a bit awkward with my response, Ji-hye spoke as if she had made a big decision.

“How about we two go out and have some fun this weekend?”

“Just the two of us?”

I was slightly surprised by her suggestion. Opening my eyes again to look at Ji-hye, I saw that she was gazing at me with a resolute expression.

“Yeah. Just us.”

Could it be that the Magical Girls were uncomfortable…?

…No, before that, Ji-hye sees me as family. Maybe she just wants to spend some separate time with family.

Back in my previous life, I used to go out for meals with my family occasionally.

However…

I sat cross-legged and looked at Ji-hye.

She was looking at me with a somewhat stiff expression, as if she knew I was going to refuse.

No, it’s not that I want to refuse outright… it’s just that Ha-yoon and Jua have been trying to stick close to me lately.

Plus, I couldn’t ignore the friends who were visiting either.

“Is that a no?”

Ji-hye asked, staring right at me.

…Right.

After returning, I hadn’t had much time alone with Ji-hye. Given that my personal space was already invaded, if every outing involved those kids I had just met, it would surely tire Ji-hye out in various ways.

Even if it wasn’t unpleasant or bothersome, the situation was the same. It’d be less tiring to deal with one familiar person rather than hanging out with new people I had just started talking to.

“Okay.”

I nodded.

If Ji-hye is saying this much, I should at least make an effort.

Thinking back, it’s true that I hadn’t been away from those kids for a long time either.

“Alright, I’ll try to find some time. Since we won’t have anything to do unless the government tells us something anyway.”

Since it’s come to this, let’s also drop by the hospital. It’s not like the hospital is far from the bustling area. Ji-hye would understand if I briefly checked on Pang-pang.

Ji-hye’s face brightened at my answer.

I thought to myself that it had been a long time since I had seen such a radiant smile.

*

“……Okay, got it.”

That weekend, when I had practically given up on midterm exams.

After I honestly told Ha-yoon and the other Magical Girls about Ji-hye, Ha-yoon smiled and nodded.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course! We should’ve been the ones to ask you if you were okay since we’ve been using your room.”

That was fine… although it would be uncomfortable for them too. After all, this place was more of an orphanage than my home.

I was having a great time playing with the kids and seemed to find some fulfillment in it, but these kids were also starting to reach a point where they’d run away after a few months.

They still hadn’t gone to see their parents.

I thought about suggesting they all reach out to their families, but stopped myself. That was something they should handle themselves.

If I intervened, it would probably only make things more complicated.

I looked toward Jua, and she nodded too.

“Then… I’ll be off. If you guys want to go somewhere, feel free. It’s not like we’re restricted anymore.”

My words made the kids smile.

“Well, for now, it feels comfortable being here. I’d say my mind is at ease.”

Rose said.

“Besides, no one is watching us.”

Dalia shrugged her shoulders.

“…And there’s no one annoying us.”

Did the kids really not find them annoying? I tilted my head at Delphinium’s words, but if she said so, then that must be the case.

Or maybe, surprisingly, they just like being around the kids.

It was nice to hear that from them. I know they were saying it to reassure me, but still.

“…….”

After the conversation ended, we had a brief moment of silence. I hadn’t felt such awkwardness in a long time. It felt just like when I had first run away.

But unlike back then, the atmosphere was much softer—thankfully.

Well, it helped that the vibe had been influenced by me when I was running away.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

Saying that once more, I waved goodbye to Ha-yoon.

I turned back to see Ha-yoon waving at me with a smile, and together with Ji-hye, we stepped out of the orphanage.

*

What should we do for fun? I didn’t really think hard about it.

Last time, we went to Hongdae, which I hadn’t been to before, but this time I decided to go to the usual place. In fact, I had already been near there several times during fights, but obviously, there was no reason to wander around back then.

Since Ji-hye and I had come out together ‘as usual,’ I just thought we could play ‘as usual.’

Ji-hye agreed with my idea, and we walked toward the bookstore as we used to.

“……”

“Hey, do you still feel it?”

As I looked around without saying anything, Ji-hye cautiously asked.

“Yeah. I’m not sure yet.”

I had my hat pulled down low. I hadn’t worn a mask, but surprisingly, no one on the street seemed to recognize me immediately.

There were a few people whispering after seeing me, but they didn’t confront me directly.

Sure, I was a Magical Girl, but my image wasn’t exactly great. At one point, I was a wanted person—and maybe I still am. Anyway, that past image would still linger.

I terrorized the police, laid out my demands, and although the forces of evil were indeed involved, I went and wrecked someone else’s company without any concrete evidence.

I guess they don’t point fingers at me only because there were reasons for my actions.

Ji-hye was also someone who’d had her face exposed, but she had less media exposure compared to me. Later on, she appeared on TV with her face pixelated, saying she wasn’t a Magical Girl or a wanted person, so there were way fewer people who could recognize her than me.

So, if things had gone normally, we could probably have explored around without any big deal.

But…

“……”

I scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

I had intentionally come to a place with fewer people, but still, it was the weekend, and with the weather getting milder and under the bright sunlight, there were people everywhere.

When we went to places like parks, every bench was occupied, and no matter which alley we took, there were people filling up restaurants and cafés. Even when we entered a somewhat gloomy, old alley, there were foreign tourists wandering around taking pictures, so we quickly left.

The reason I was seeking out quieter places wasn’t because of the people watching us.

It was the paparazzi.

“I’m sorry. I should have thought a bit more before coming out.”

“Oh, no, it’s the person following us who’s in the wrong.”

Ji-hye answered a bit flustered at my words.

That’s right. I seemed to have a paparazzi trailing behind me…

I say ‘seemed’ because I wasn’t entirely sure yet.

Back when I was with Ha-yoon, she immediately grasped the situation, but it appears I wasn’t quite there yet.

There were indeed suspicious signs.

Every time I turned my gaze, I caught glimpses of a figure disappearing around a corner. It didn’t seem like a ghost or anything, but just a person.

The problem was that every time I moved in crowded areas, they artfully distanced themselves after disappearing.

I couldn’t pinpoint their appearance accurately.

So, I had thought about luring that person to a less populated area, but whenever we got to a somewhat quieter area, they completely vanished from my sight.

They probably just slipped away to the back or something.

However, I did not want to call the Magical Girls. If I did, it would completely ruin the mood.

This was my long-awaited normalcy. Already, I was skirting on the edge of being recognized by people who knew me. Calling for them in this situation would destroy even that brief moment of normality.

I thought it would be better for me to catch the person and hand them over to the police.

“Somehow… they don’t seem like they want to fight.”

If their goal was to not get caught, and if their goal was to take my picture and sell it, then of course they wouldn’t resort to violence.

But at the same time, hiding themselves must be their strategy as well.

“Hmm.”

As I was lost in thought, Ji-hye was also deep in contemplation.

After a while of resting her chin in thought, Ji-hye quietly looked up at me, and suddenly, as if she thought of an idea, she clapped her hands.

The sound surprised me, and I blinked.

“Ji-eun.”

“Yeah?”

“You can transform using the power of hope, right?”

It felt a bit weird to emphasize ‘transform’ like that.

Well, I had been transforming, but then again, I had never said ‘transform!’ out loud.

The lack of transformation poses or dialogue was also an author’s preference. Anyway, this webtoon depicted things that might happen if Magical Girls existed in reality.

“Yeah, exactly.”

I answered somewhat reluctantly, and Ji-hye looked directly at me.

Her face was slightly flushed, and I wondered what she was about to say.

“And I know from all those newspaper articles that you’re in a situation where you can truly feel hope.”

“Uh?”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand Ji-hye’s words.

It took a brain lapse of a fraction of a second before I realized what Ji-hye was hinting at.

“Wait, hold on, Ji-hye. You can’t be suggesting…?”

“Summoning the Magical Girls here would be a bit much, right? It would take them time to arrive. And considering how good they are at escaping, they’d probably run away the moment a summoning device is activated.”

“Wait, hold on.”

I reached out a hand toward Ji-hye.

Then I pressed my pointer finger on my forehead.

No way?

“Ji-hye, just wait. No matter how it is…”

“No.”

Before I could finish, Ji-hye decisively cut me off.

When was the last time I saw that expression on her face?

Since I ran away, Ji-hye always seemed a bit precarious. While she’d have the strength to endure since she was much stronger than me, it seemed she hadn’t been able to sleep well due to anxieties over possibly losing her only family.

And even when we were talking, her usual confident demeanor hardly appeared.

But this expression was different. It was not that kind of expression at all.

In fact, it was akin to how she looked back when we used to fight frequently.

With her hands placed on her waist, she was making a serious face that conveyed absolute certainty, refusing to back down.

I, too, was showing my annoyance but didn’t step back either, realizing that we had both learned to navigate situations by giving a bit of space to one another over time.

Naturally, it had almost completely vanished since that moment.

“What’s not right?”

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not what it seems.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were definitely going to refuse what I was suggesting. For whatever reasons.”

“……”

At her words, I slightly parted my lips.

Well, in that case, she was right.

Ji-hye stepped a little closer to me. I took a half step back.

“Ji-eun.”

Ji-hye spoke assertively.

“If the situation calls for it, you need to leverage your power actively.”

“I understand that.”

“And if I’m the one who can enable you to use that power, you should definitely make use of me. What are you going to do in this situation?”

“No, this isn’t that kind of situation.”

“What if it were?”

It can’t be. I want to believe it can’t be.

If it were like that, this situation would essentially be something I created myself.

I should have anticipated this level of discussion when Ji-hye suggested we go out together. After all, someone had taken a photo of me kissing Ha-yoon and turned it into an article.

Of course, the person pursuing us may not be the same one who took that picture, but still, wouldn’t they do anything for clicks?

Besides…

“There’s no guaranteeing that the person taking pictures isn’t the same one who followed us last time. They wouldn’t be someone you could catch just by using your strength.”

That’s right. They could very well be an alien. One who has modified their body.

And… if they were such an alien, their pure strength would likely be far beyond any human on Earth. Even if I was fighting, I could still cause trouble for Ji-hye, so how much worse would it be with an alien?

Among the monsters I faced, there had been one that melted steel with its bodily fluids.

“So, I need you.”

“……”

“Yeah, using the summoning device could let them get away before we can catch them. But that doesn’t mean we should just give up, right? They might come back again to snap pictures or report on us. They’ll keep coming back, even if we return home. They could find us again, no matter how many police or curtains we have; they will wait until we show in any public way and take our pictures, so we need to directly warn them not to do that.”

…Even directly warning might not stop them.

There’s no telling if this being would heed the warning, as another might try to harass us.

But…

“…I know that.”

Yeah. I realize that.

Ultimately, what I need is strength. The government, the company, the federation; as long as I kept quiet, they’d use me, but once I started resisting, they began to give me some space.

Noir Corporation even thought about running away because of me.

“Sometimes, you know from your past battles that you have to fight rather than escape.”

Ji-hye stated.

“And if you choose to fight, I’m ready to support you till the end. Because we’re family.”

“……”

Ji-hye took another step closer to me.

This time, I didn’t take a step back. I could tell what she meant.

“I know you want to protect me. And I’m thankful for that. I’m grateful that someone in this world thinks of me like that. But still, I don’t want to be a burden.”

Ji-hye’s voice was firm. There was no trembling in her tone.

The footsteps coming towards me reflected that firmness.

“So, let me help you when I can. I don’t just want to be protected in situations like this.”

I closed my eyes briefly.

Then, I nodded in agreement.

When I opened my eyes, Ji-hye was smiling at me.

“Good. Well then…”

Ji-hye raised her arms and said.

“…Is it okay if I help you?”

“…Yeah.”

At my answer, Ji-hye immediately lunged at me.

And she hugged me tightly.

I wrapped my arms around Ji-hye.

“See?”

“No.”

But—

“I can hear it.”

Yeah.

I couldn’t see it, but I could hear it.

The sound of the camera shutter moving.

The reason I could hear that sound from afar was probably that I wanted it to.

And now, the circuit I always kept with me was powering up vigorously.

My heart felt at ease. All the worries I had been harboring started to feel trivial. Because Ji-hye had spoken those words to me.

Even if we weren’t in a situation like this—Ji-hye would definitely want to say those words anyway. And that was a sentiment too personal to express in front of the other kids.

“Well, it seems we’ll need strength now.”

Ji-hye suddenly said.

“Strength?”

“The strength to fight.”

I flinched in surprise as I felt Ji-hye’s breath close to me.

Because her eyes were right there.

Her shining pupils were filled with warmth.

That closeness was so overwhelming—

—it was almost like softness brushing against my lips.

Pat.

A tiny sound rang out, and Ji-hye’s face slowly drew away.

“Isn’t it only natural for a Magical Girl to transform when fighting?”

Ji-hye said with a smile.

Her face was turning bright red, as if it could explode at any moment, but that smile—it was so familiar to me, Ji-hye’s smile.

A smile that only she could create.

For me, it was the perfect face to harbor hope.

 

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